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I understand why you say it isn't really a good idea to sharpen knives totally asymmetrically, but one instance where I think it is a great idea is if you are a lefty and you're using a righty knife (so basically all of them). I have noticed food release on basically all of my knives improve massively when sharpening them with very strong asymmetry

Salty, good to hear but I'm still afraid to use my deba for anything else other than butchering whole fish, as a result the knife has remained unused even once. Its been sitting on my wall looking bad ass but un touched. I must be loosing perspective, there is nothing else I can think of that I have ever bought that cost $300 that I haven't even used once. heck, even my 12" Falk saute pan has been used a few times.

Myth: The Japanese knife gods will strike you dead if you use a knife for something other than it's designed purpose.

lol... never said you cant do things with the knives they arent intended for... just stating that thats not what deba is designed to do, so if you pick one up and think you can hack a chicken in 2 with one because its a really thick blade, dont be surprised if there are some chips in the blade. I know people who use deba for chicken and done have problems. I also know that sometimes people gear their choice of steel/heat treatment so the deba will be tougher and can handle this kind of task better. Anyways, honesuki and garasuki are still better for the task. But at the end of the day, they are your knives and you can do with them as you please. That doesnt mean that deciding to use usuba to take the head off a 100lb tuna is a good idea, but feel free

lol... never said you cant do things with the knives they arent intended for... just stating that thats not what deba is designed to do, so if you pick one up and think you can hack a chicken in 2 with one because its a really thick blade, dont be surprised if there are some chips in the blade. I know people who use deba for chicken and done have problems. I also know that sometimes people gear their choice of steel/heat treatment so the deba will be tougher and can handle this kind of task better. Anyways, honesuki and garasuki are still better for the task. But at the end of the day, they are your knives and you can do with them as you please. That doesnt mean that deciding to use usuba to take the head off a 100lb tuna is a good idea, but feel free

I see it as a letter of the law vs. spirit of the law situation. A deba was not designed for breaking down chicken, but it takes off chicken breast and goes through leg joints as easily as it fillets tai and cuts between fish vertebrae. Similarly a yanagiba was never designed for skinning pork belly or portioning tenderloin, but it performs those tasks with aplomb. I would never split a chicken carcass with a deba, nor would I suggest a deba as first choice for breaking down chicken, but used within its parameters, it does the job extremely well.